The 13th edition of the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025, co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka, will start on September 30. The tournament will be played across five venues: M. Chinnaswamy Stadium (Bengaluru), Holkar Cricket Stadium (Indore), ACA Stadium (Guwahati), ACA-VDCA Stadium (Visakhapatnam), and R. Premadasa Stadium (Colombo).
The first match of the tournament will be played at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, featuring the host nation India, as the event returns to India after a span of 12 years. The first semi-final will be played in Guwahati or Colombo, depending on whether India or Sri Lanka make it to the semi-finals. The second semi-final venue is fixed as Bengaluru. The final will be played on November 2nd, and the venue is not yet finalized, with potential venues being either Bengaluru or Colombo.
The eight participating teams will be India, Sri Lanka, England, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. Pakistan’s matches will be played in Colombo due to ongoing political issues between the nations and the Indian government’s strong stance on the matter.
Seven-time world champions Australia will enter the competition as the reigning champions, having won the last ICC Women’s World Cup played in New Zealand, where they defeated England in the final. While the Australians will be led by Alyssa Healy this time, the core team remains the same.
Can India Women end their World Cup Drought?
The host nation, India, has the best chance of winning the World Cup at home, as they have favorable conditions and have played most of their international cricket in the venues that will host the ODI World Cup.
India will be led by the experienced Harmanpreet Kaur, who will probably play her last ODI World Cup and has the best chance to cap off her illustrious white-ball career with a trophy that has eluded India for a very long time, despite playing good cricket and consistently reaching the knockout stages.
Team India has a balanced and experienced squad this time, with the right combinations, where every player has performed and excelled well in their roles. India will also begin their preparations for the ODI World Cup by playing an ODI series against England in June, and then, before the tournament, they will take on Australia in a three-match ODI series in September.
